Method of manufacture of sterling silver handles with gold design headings



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METHOD OF MANUFACTURE OF STERLING SILVER HANDLES WITH GOLD DESIGN HEADINGS Filed Nov. 1950 FIG?) F|G.4

MAX HERMAN STORCH ATTORNEY Patented July 28, 1953 METHOD OF MANUFACTURE OF STERLING SILVER HANDLES WITH GOLD DESIGN HEADINGS Max Herman Storch, Belle Harbor, N. Y.

Application November 7, 1950, Serial No.- 194,485

1 Claim. (Cl. 76-105) This invention relates to improvements in handles of spoons and forks and similar articles,

and an object of this invention is to provide a method of manufacture of superior sterling silver handles and like articles having gold design headings to enhance the beauty of the articles,

Another object of this invention is to provide a method of manufacture of sterling silver spoons and forks and similar articles, whereby the tip of the handle has on the front face only, a superposed embossment forming a heading which is made of gold in its entirety.

Another object of this invention is to provide a method of manufacture of embossed gold headings on sterling silver flatware articles, whereby a bi-metallic or single metal heading is superimposed over an end portion of the article and united to the article in permanent intimate union and so that the heading is of a different color than that of the main body of the article.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention will be hereinafter more particularly described, and the combination and arrangement of parts will be shown in the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claim which forms part of this specification.

Reference will now be had to the drawings, wherein like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of a fragmentary portion of a lei-metallic strip from which the gold headings may be made.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the strip shown K in Figure 1 and showing how the embossed headings are made.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 33 in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a plan view of a spoon blank having a design heading embossed in the handle portion of the blank.

Figure 5 is a plan view of a fragmentary portion of the spoon with the embossed heading applied thereto.

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 6-6 in Figure 5.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the numeral I0 indicates a bimetallic strip made of a gold outer layer II and a sterling silver lower layer I2, the two dissimilar metals being united in permanent union.

The lower silver layer is preferably made thicker than the gold outer layer to impart a degree of rigidity to the outer gold layer to applied thereto.

facilitate subsequent manufacturing operations even when a gold layer isused having a'thickness only that of a piece of paper.

As shown in Figure 2, the bimetallic strip It is fabricated to form a plurality of identical embossments in spaced-apart relation thereon, each of a designvrepresenting a heading.

As shown in Figure 3, each heading I3 is made slightly hollow and defined by a laterally extending flange I4 bounding the whole exterior surface of the heading. Each heading I3 has an embossed design I5 all over its surface.

Figure 4 is a rear plan view of a spoon blank I 6 having the design I5 embossed in the tip I! of the handle portion I8 of the blank. The embossed design I5 on the tip I! of the spoon blank I6 is identical with the embossed design I5 on the heading I3, and this permits the heading l3 to be superimposed on the embossed tip of the handle. The flange I4 embraces the boundary walls of the tip portion IT and aligns the embossments on the heading and on the handle in a manner as to cause positive nesting of the heading on the tip of the handle.

Figure 5 is a plan view of a fragmentary portion of the handle with the embossed heading For design effect, apertures 20 are formed in the heading I3 and in the tip I! of the handle I6.

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 66 in Figure 5 and shows a bimetallic embossed heading I3 applied over the embossed design I5 on the tip portion I! of the handle I6. The bimetallic heading I3 is silver-soldered to the handle of the sterling silver spoon and is then buffed or polished.

The method herein disclosed provides a simple manner of producing an ornamental heading requiring a minimum of material and which is highly aesthetic in appearance.

Due to the high cost of gold and to the fact that depth of embossment is required to bring out full detail of design, a strip of foil-like thickness would be desired with resulting weakness of the heading and difficulty of handling before its application to the handle portion of the article to which the heading is applied. This difficulty I have obviated by using the bimetallic strip comprising separate gold and silver plies, the gold being relatively weak and of great deformability and the silver of greater strength.

The term silver soldering is employed to designate soldering, welding or other equivalent method of securing and bonding dissimilar metallic strips together.

In the preferred mode of carrying out the method, I use a strip of gold of the thickness of a sheet of paper. I then apply a strip of silver on one surface of the gold strip and suitably bond the two strips in unitary relation. The strip of silver is slightly thicker than the strip. of gold and imparts rigidity to the strip of gold to facilitate manufacturing operations without distortion of the gold. I may, however, employ only a single layer of gold in place of the bimetallic embossed strip shown in Figure 1 and silver-solder tl e headings to the embossed portions oftheartieles, as heretofore.

In accordance with the patentstatutesli have described and illustrated the preferred embodiment of my invention, but itwill beunderstood that various changes and modifications-canbe made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention as. defined by the appended aim- I claim:

The method of forming a, sterling silver flatware handle with a sylmnetrical sold design heading on the normally visible front face of the handle, which consists in embossin a Symmetrical design onsaid normally visible front face of said handles soas to. extend in relief onthe rear e f t e f e nd e ion of the handle. in 2- plying a pre-formed bi-metallic embossed heading of a design identical with said design on said handle over the normally visible front face and over the symmetrical design embossed on the normally visible front face of said handle, the complementary face of said bi-metallic heading being in surface contact with the embossed design heading on said handle, in making the pre-formed heading with a laterally extending circumscribing flange of a size large enough to cause positive nesting and to embrace said handle heading, in

References Cited in the file. of this patent UNITED; STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 298,921 Van Campen May 20; 1884 368,741 Wagenfohr Aug. 23, 1887 2,319,267 Sawyer May 18, 1943 

